Ep 3. Is Your Branding All Over the Place? How to Rein It In
Nourish Your Brand · Episode 3
Today we're talking about mint. Yes, mint. Because it has a lot to teach us about managing a brand.
Mint is fresh, invigorating, and ridiculously easy to grow. But it also has a mind of its own. Plant it straight in your garden and it spreads like wildfire, taking over everything if you leave it unchecked. Manage it well, though, and it thrives, ready to pick whenever you need it. Your branding works exactly the same way, so let's get into it.
When your branding grows wild
Your branding, both the strategy and the identity, is the mint of your business garden. Let it grow wild and it gets unfocused. Your core message dilutes. Your actual purpose gets buried and hidden among everything else you do.
It can feel freeing at first. Loads to work with, loads to pull from. But without direction, and without something to contain it, your brand spreads so far and so thin that it stops having any impact at all. You know how mint pops up on the complete other side of the garden, and then the other plants hide it so you can't even find it to use? Your brand can do that too. So let's keep it in mint condition.
Prune it regularly (do a brand audit)
Just like mint needs regular trimming so it doesn't take over, your brand needs a check-in. I'd say every three to six months. Sit down and look at what's actually working.
Which messages are landing with your audience? Which visuals make people go "oh, that's so you"? Are clients telling you your values come across, or that they saw something and thought of you? Keep what's working. And don't be afraid to cut back what isn't. We're always so focused on adding more, thinking more equals better, but pruning matters just as much. Leave mint untrimmed and it goes spindly and stretched out. Prune it and it grows into a lovely, round, thriving little plant. Same with your brand.
Set boundaries with brand guidelines
Mint thrives when it knows its limits, which is why you really should plant it in a pot. Your brand needs a pot too, and that's your brand guidelines.
Refer back to them often. Are you still sounding like you, in your voice and personality? Are your visuals still on track, or have you veered off? Is the experience someone gets when they work with you what your brand promised? Guidelines give you a framework so you don't go wild and bolt on things that don't belong.
No guidelines yet? Keep it simple. Look at what you've got, what you love, and what your clients are responding to, pop it in a Notion page or a Google Doc, and stick to it for a few months. Then come back and adjust. If you'd like help getting that foundation properly clear in the first place, that's what a Brand Recipe session is for.
Stay flexible without losing the roots
Now, I've spent this whole episode telling you to prune and contain, but there's real strength in mint's flexibility too. Your branding can be the star of the show, or a subtle accent, depending on where it's showing up.
You wouldn't use your brand on TikTok the same way you'd use it in a proposal you send a client. So read the context. Dial it up, dial it back, use more or less, depending on where you are and who you're talking to. You're still staying within the roots. You're just changing how much of it you reach for.
Ask yourself this week
Take a moment to look at your branding honestly.
Has it spread out to the point where you can't even tell what the core is anymore? Is it spindly and all over the place?
Or have you been tending it, pruning it, keeping it within its parameters?
Look at your foundation first: your core purpose, your audience, your values. Are you still aligned with them? Then your visuals: are you leaning on the right colours, or has one taken over? Have you ended up with ten fonts collected from random templates? Trim it back so everything feels cohesive again.
The bottom line
This isn't about creating more work for you. It's about having a checker in place, so your brand grows with intention, direction and purpose instead of sprawling and diluting.
A well-tended mint plant adds life and flavour to everything you put it in. A well-managed brand does the same for your business. If you'd like a hand keeping yours in mint condition, that's part of what I do inside the Brand Kitchen, my signature sprint that takes your brand from bland to bursting with personality. Want to see if it's a fit? Book a free Brand Pairing call and let's have a proper chat. No pressure, no hard sell.
Related episodes:
Ep 1. Brand foundations: the two ingredients every brand needs
Ep 2. Why your brand feels bland (and the ingredient that fixes it)
Ep 61. Why your visuals struggle before you even start
Resources mentioned
Brand Kitchen – my signature sprint, taking your brand from bland to bursting with personality
The Spread – my email newsletter, with new episodes and branding bits straight to your inbox
Here's More…
Why does my branding feel inconsistent or all over the place?
Usually it's grown wild without anything to contain it, so every decision is made on the fly and the core message gets diluted. A regular audit and a simple set of brand guidelines pull it back into shape.
How often should I audit my brand?
Every three to six months is a good rhythm. Check which messages and visuals are landing, keep what's working, and prune what isn't. It stops your brand going spindly and stretched in ten directions.
Do I really need brand guidelines if I'm a one-person business?
Yes, and they can be dead simple. Your fonts, your colours, your logo, and the core messages you talk about. Even a one-page Notion doc gives you a pot to keep your brand from spreading everywhere. The Brand Recipe session is a quick way to nail the strategy underneath it.
About the host
I'm Aiza, the brand chef behind Studio Coya, a branding studio with a food-themed twist. I help established coaches, creators and service providers brand their signature offers so their best work looks as good as it actually is, and sells like hotcakes.
